Sweet foretaste of sugar recovery

MORE than 100 cane growers packed into the Western Suburbs League Club at Walkerston for the annual Mackay Area Committee meeting.

They heard Canegrowers chairman Paul Schembri give an overview of expectations for the sugar industry in 2009.

Mr Schembri said while the past decade had included “some of the worst seasons on record”, this year could be the turnaround growers had been waiting for.

“This year represents an opportunity for a positive turnaround in the fortunes of the Mackay Sugar industry,” Mr Schembri said.

“World prices have been steady, however, it has been the impacts of a low Australian dollar that point to hopefully improved returns for Mackay cane growers.”

Mr Schembri said while many growers had put great efforts into changing their work practices to better manage their impact on the environment, there was still much work that needed to be done.

“It is true that growers are not keen to change their farming practices just because government regulations tell them too but when they can see an environmental and a dollar value in the changes they will, and do, work hard to improve,” Mr Schembri said.

“Many farmers are now moving from a mono-culture to a multi-culture environment by planting crops that give them a financial reward as well as adding nutrients to their soils.”

Guest speaker and chairman of Queensland Canegrowers Alf Cristaudo spoke to the group about Australia joining with other countries to form the Global Sugar Alliance.

The alliance was aimed at strengthening the negotiating base for the sugar industry in world markets while contributing to changes in the European market.